Stop And Smell The Roses

Make use of the new varieties of fragrant roses becoming available.

- Ludwig Taschner

GET THE LOOK

One of the most difficult spots for roses is against a west-facing wall. The wall bakes in the sun, and if watering is inadequate the roses succumb to red spider. This west-facing rose bed, filled with ‘Double Delight’, avoids all these pitfalls. A silver birch planted in the rose bed provides dappled shade that reduces the heat of the wall. Instead of planting the roses directly against the wall, a shrub has been used as a buffer. Finally, the bases of the roses, which are often woody and sometimes leafless, are protected from the sun by a small, clipped buxus hedge. What you can’t see is that an irrigation system is installed in the bed. All of these factors, together with regular spraying and monthly fertilising, contribute towards superbly healthy roses.

Fragrance – what’s new?

‘Double Delight’ is one of the quintessential fragrant roses that has stood the test of time, especially when roses were mostly ‘not’ fragrant. Luckily that’s changing, and every year sees the introduction of new fragrant varieties.